Aeroplane.



W. S. ROMME.

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.18,1908.

' 920,085, Patented Apr. 27, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W. s. ROMME.

AEROPLANE.

' APPLICATION FILED DEO.18,190B. 920,085, Patented Apr. 27, 1909.

2 SHEBTSSHIIET 2.

j 2 8141mm ioz y or moving the same in or on water.

UNITED srn'rns PATENT oFFrcE.

WlllLlAM l tOMMll, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR F ONE-HALF 'lO WALTER I. PLUNKETT,

OF NEW YORK, .N.'Y.

AEROPLANE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented April 27, 1909.

Application filed December 18, 1908. Serial No. 468,122.

.citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements-in Aeroplanes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to improvements in aeroplanes or machines adapted for flying through the air and provided with means for floating or moving in or on water and for running or travelin on land, of such form and construction 1;- at the aeroplane will automatically maintain its equilibrium under all conditions, thereby reducing to a mini-- mum the possibility of accidents or injury to the apparatus and operator.

One 0 ject of the invention is to provide an improved aeroplane having a large inverted bell-shaped, flaring bearing surface against the lifting pressure of the atmosphere, and which at the same time resents as little resistance to an aerial ilig it as is consistent with a strong and practical construction.

Another object of the invention is to )I'O-' the air, and aso means for locomotion on the earths surface, as well as means for preventing the sinking of the apparatus should it descend into water, and means for floating Another object is to embody in my.im proved aeroplane such proportions and distribution of weights and parts as will tend at all times to automatically maintainthe equilibrium of the aeroplane, and which will not.allow any other than a horizontal position.

Another object of the invention is'to provide means for governing the direction offlight'of the aeroplane, and to allow the same to ascend and descend Without serious shock to the a paratus.

The fdregoing objects, as Well as other objects of my invention, will be more fully understood from the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view, partly broken, of an aeroplane or air ship or flylng machine,

embodying my invention in its preferred form. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof, partly broken away, with the canvas or superstructure shown in section; and Fig. 3 is a side view of the aeroplane.

. Referring to Fig. 2 of the drawings, the inverted bell-shaped, flaring bearing surface, or hollow cone or funnel, 1, is provided with a series of ring members :2, 3 and 4,

connected by means of ribs 5 forming the skeleton frame for supporting the canvas 6. This inverted bell-shaped structure possesses the advantage of resenting a very large and almost horizonta surface 7, against which the lifting power or ressure of the air act-s, while the neck 8 of tlie body of the apparatus, due to being round and relatively small in comparison with the general proportions of the apparatus, presents a minimum resistance to the flight. Preferably, but not necessarily, the skeleton frame is made of bamboo covered'with canvas, silk or other suitable material, but such parts of the frame 1 which support the .machincry and other mechanism, may be made out of aluminum, on other light but strong material. particular means for fastening the parts together have not been shown in the drawings. astheyv are of no importance but will vary greatly according to practice, the size of the struction, preferably of the internal combustion type. It will be understood that I may einploy'a single motor with four cylinders, or any other means of motive power. The necessary appurtenances, such as fuel supply, connections and controlling elements, are also omitted for'the sake of clcarness, as they maybe readily purchased in the open market. ,-For the purposeof lifting the machine into the air and for vertical pro ulsion, I employ in this instance two prope lers 12,12, each of which is mounted on a shaft 13, 13, suitably supported by stays, rods or otherwise fastened to the ribs 8, and the said shafts 13, 13 are each driven by its respective motor 10, 10, through bevel gears 14 and 15., For horizontal propulsion 1 employ two propellers 1.6, 18, carried by horizontal shafts 17, 1'7, suitably supported,

The

these shafts being driven from the motors 11, 11, one separately from the-other, by

means of sprocketgears 18, 19, and chain 20. As each of the above mentioned pro ellers is driven from its own motor indepen ently of the others, it will be seenthat I can at any time run the machine by one or all of basket is provided wit the said propellers, thus accommodating the motive force to the particular circumstances course, that I may use more'than two propellers in'each of the instances just referred to, and that the means for driving the same may be changed accordmgly.

For the convenience of the operator a basket or other, suitable receptacle 21 is carried below the aero lane, and the said a bottom 22 and with ample space for the operator and for necessary appurtenances, tools, provisions,

/ wire, or similar strong material.

etc. which he may desire to carry with him on his journey. In Fig. 21 have indicated a lever 23 as a means by which the various motors may be controlled, but it will be understood that one or more levers may be employed for each motor, depending upon .the particul ararrangement of the mechan-- ism. For controlling and steering the aerolane, I provide a rudder 24 mounted in a ball and socket 'oint 25, which is fastened to one of the uprig ts or ribs 26, which ribs also support the basket or receptacle 21. The said basket is also supported by guide ropes 27, or the like, preferably made of piano The rudder 2,4 is also provided with a steering wheel 28. By reason of the ball and socket joint con-' 'struction provided for the rudder, the opera:

tor is enabled to steerthe aeroplane .in any possible direction.

Fastened to the basket 21 by means of I rods 29 is a circular rail 30, inwhich are mounted hollow splheres 31 in such a manner that the latter 'Wi a horizontal central axis at right angles to the axis of the shaft 17 and to this end the.

said hollow spheres are mounted on bearings 32 in the said rail. The pur ose of these hollow-spheres, as willbe rea ily seen from Fig. 2, is to aeroplane to e propelled on land, and also to obviate any serious shock to the apparatus. when the same descends or ascends, and,'by reason, of the said hollow spheres 31 a gradual slanting rising or descending motion is made possible. Also, should the aeroplane do} scend on water, or by any accident run from land into Water, the said hollow s bores-3 are so constructed; and';..calculate in their dimensions that they Twill support the Weight of the aeroplan'e onthegwater and revolve.or' rotate around.

provide means for allowing thethereby act as Pontoons or iioats for. preventing the aeroplane from sinking into the water .and also preventing the possible drowning of the operator. 1 i The skeleton frame may be attached to the rail 30 b means of strong piano wires 33, and it .will e understood that the various ribs, rods, guide ropes, &c. maybe arranged in other ways than the one shown in the. drawings,-as may best suit thesilze of the aeroplane 'and the material used in its COIl-r st'ruction.

An important featureof this invention itself and in its being-so calculatedv and proortioned that the center of gravity centers 1n the vertical central axis through the incenter of gravity is below the latform 9, so

plane to upset.

easily understood from the drawings, but 1n practice the motors 10, -10 are first started in motion, which in turn cause the ropellers 12, 12, to'rotate and the machine is thereby i in this instance the hollow s ace of ,the inescape down t rough the machine, which materially aids the ascent, as the only surface resenting resistance-to the air in making t 1e ascent is the upper surface of. the member 7. When the roper or' desired height has been attained orv before, the operator may start the motors 11, 11, which the shafts 17, v17, -and which will then propel the aeroplane in a horizontal direction. pending upon thecircurnstances of the flight, the operator may cut out the vertical protal pro ellers only, and if, through some cause, t e rudder 2 should be insufficient-to efiect the desired. change in direction, the operator may assist in; the steering'of the deemed expedient. V I

- 'It will be understood: that my, invention maybe embodied in'various other 'forms and modifications not herein shown .01 described without de arting'from .the s hit or scope thereof, an I do not Wishv to e-considered as confining myself to the exactcon'struction, instr'umentalities or materials hereinshown and described. i

Having thus described my invention, what I declare as new ;Letters Patent, is: A

The combination of an; invertedbellshaped structure comprising a. skeleton frame "provided with ribs covered with silk, hav ing an opening at the top and bottom so arranged that the flaring horizontal portions that it will be next to impossib e for the aeroconsists in the very form of the apparatus verted-bell-shaped frame 1, and that-the ,The operation of the aeroplane is very lifted into the air. It will be observed that verted bell-sha ed surface al owe the air to' will cause the propellers -16, 16 to move on pellers and run themachine by the horizonmachine byusing the propellerson the one,- or the other sideofthe'apparatus, as may be vided with a plurality of hollow of said inverted bell-shaped structure form the resistance for the atmospheric pressure,

a round body portion provided \vith'u plurality of ring members connected to said body portion by means of ribs, a basket suspended from said frame, a circular rail prospheres, and means for propelling said inverted bellshaped structurethrough space.

L111 an aeroplane, the combination of''& tunnel shaped frame coyered with canvas, :1 round body-portion provided with a plurality of ring members, a basket suspended from' the lowermost rin member, a circular rail supported by said asket-,end-a plurality of rotatable hollow spheres. v

3. The combination of a cone shuped structure provided with a circular rail, a plul rality of rotatable hollow spheres mounted i in bearings on said circular rail, and means l for propelling saidconeshaped structure throu h space.-

i 4; he combination of u cone shaped structure provided with'zi dircular ruil, zi plurality of rotatable inbeerings on said circular rail, means for propelling said cone-shaped structure tl uough space, and means for steeringsaid coneshaped structure.

in presence of two witnesses. 0

WILLIAM S. HUMBLE.

Witnesses N A. .HIEGEL,

M. (l. (.lm-twronu.

hollow spheres mounted In testimony \vliereofl uliix my signature,- 

